Day of the Dannys
by TFSyndicate
Summary: It's Dia De Los Muertos at Amity Park. While Jack and Maddie (comically) attempt to get a party going, Danny goes to help a certain someone (coughEMBERcough) reunite with her family. (NOTE: Set after "Phantom Planet"/Post PP, Featuring special guest OC Todd Zeppelin)


November First. Halloween was already behind them, but tomorrow would be Dia De Los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead". For some, it was a time when the dead would come to meet their living next of kin and get the most out of it. For others...okay, the Fentons, it was another busy day at the office. Lots of ghosts to be hunted, lots of bystanders to piss off, lots of noise to be made...basically, Halloween, Part 2.  
At least that's how it was _last_ year. Jack and Maddie have cooled down a pinch when they learned that their son Danny was (partially) one of _them_. The Ghost Zone™ had their own practices that Danny's parents had to get used to now, mainly which days the evil ghosts held truces. At first it was just the mainstay that was the Christmas Truce™, but after the ghosts helped Danny save the Earth from the Disasteroid™, the Ghost Zone Chamber of Commerce™ declared a new batch of living/dead truces be put in effect. Among which, there was the obvious Disasteroid Truce™, and the Dia Le Los Muertos Truce™, allowing the ghosts to freely visit their living relatives during the first few days of November. At least, that's what they're _supposed_ to do. Some ghosts have lost their way.  
And one of those ghosts was Ember. After the whole incident with the Disasteroid™, she gave up on hypnotizing people through music, and aimed on pursuing a legitimate (posthumous) music career. With a song like "Remember (September)" taking a turn for the stale, she took up songwriting alongside the Ghost Writer. If only her parents could see her now. If only she knew where her parents lived now.

* * *

Speaking of parents, one does not simply fix Jack and Maddie Fenton. I mean, it _has_ taken a while to get used to Danny now that his secret was out in the open. Jazz wanted them to do away with their dangerous weapons, but they _insisted_ on keeping them, because worse case scenario, something bad happens that involves Danny taking a turn for the evil. Like _that's_ ever gonna happen. Anymore.  
Jazz was always enthusiastic in trying to get Jack and Maddie to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos (moreso than Danny). Because it involves getting together with long lost relatives, she figured a Dia De Los Muertos party could _finally_ convince them that not _all_ ghosts are evil, present company excluded. But then again, why must they see their ghostly relatives for one day a year, when they can use the ghost portal and see them whenever they want?  
Jazz watched as Maddie and Jack decorate the lab with Dia De Los Muertos-themes thingamajigs.  
"Do you think our relatives will be able to recognize us?" she asked.  
"Probably not," said Maddie, "Either because we've only met at a young age or not at all, or they've probably lost their memories when they died."  
"Ahem," said Danny, who was also decorating up in the high ceiling, "You can't prove that yet."  
"Besides," Maddie continued, "We have pictures from when they were alive as part of the decor."  
Said pictures were set up on a clothed table beside the portal. Candles were also nearby, awaiting to be lighted come tomorrow. Also there were open places that were reserved for little toys that the dead children could play with, and candy skulls. Actually...the candy skulls were _already_ supposed to be there. Maddie was puzzled as to who took them, but then she immediately suspected Jack. She gave him a mad face.  
"You have your own bowl in the kitchen," she said sharply.  
Jack took off for the stairs up to the living room, while Danny floated downward to the floor.  
"You know, we use the ghost portal all the time to chuck the ghosts we capture," said Jazz, "How come we've never thought of using it to search for...I dunno...our great great grandma or someone?"  
"Well, Jazz," said Maddie, "For all we know, a previous generation moved elsewhere. She might not've _lived_ in Amity Park."  
"Also," Danny added, "The Portal opens up too close to the Ghost Prison, and they're probably too scared to get close. Either way, that's probably why we've only met bad ghosts. But even if it didn't open near the Prison, I'd still keep expectations low. The _true_ good ghosts would like to be left alone." (coughDAIRY KINGcough) "Alright, I'm going out."  
"Where are you going?" asked Jazz.  
"To get some air."  
Family time can be a pain.

There were lots of dry, orange leaves blowing about. Undeniable autumn, right here. Danny was airborne the minute he was out the door. He thought about visiting Sam, but then he remembered that she and her parents were on vacation for "her safety". More like _their_ safety, really. He thought about Mayor Foley, but he was probably tied up with meetings or red tape.

His eventually aimless wandering led him to the cemetery, where his ghost sense went off. You'd think it would go hog wild around a cemetery, but it's just buried stiffs here. Instead he found Ember, sitting before her own gravestone.

EMBER McLAIN  
1957-1972  
Beloved Rockstar Daughter

It was surrounded with burnt-out candles, envelopes grass and leaves. Danny landed beside Ember. She didn't acknowledge his presence until he broke the ice.  
"Looks like they gave you a proper send-off."  
"Hey, Dipstick," said Ember.  
"I woke up to 'Remember (September)' playing on NPR this morning, and I thought of you for a bit."  
"Todd Zeppelin show?" she asked. She must've woken up to that too.  
Danny nodded.  
"I met his dead twin sister once. Tricia."  
"I take it they're gonna have a nice Dia De Los Muertos," Danny quipped.  
"Oh," Ember shuddered, " _That_."  
"What's wrong, Em? You're not gonna visit your parents?"  
"I would if I could."  
"Why not? You don't know where they live?"  
"I haven't seen them after the funeral. Hell knows where they moved to after my home burned down..." she began to sob, "With me in it."  
Danny gave her a comforting hug. Then he looked down at the envelopes leaning against the gravestone.  
"Have you had a chance to read the letters they left you?"  
Ember let go of the hug, "I'm a ghost, Dipstick. I can't touch _everything_ I want."  
Danny picked up the first one that caught his eye. It had Ember's name on the front, and another name on the back. Danny didn't know who it was, but Ember did.  
"It's from Daemon!" she said in realization, "He was my last boyfriend. He dumped me shortly before the fire."  
Open, a small sheet of paper laid inside the envelope, in mint condition. Danny pulled it out and unfolded it and read the inscription out loud. It said I'M SORRY EMBER. Ember sniffed, and shed the ghost equivalent of a tear. To Danny, that was a yes.

* * *

Danny and an invisible Ember hurried back to Fenton Works. They found Maddie coldly making more candy skulls, while Jack sat off in the corner, facing the wall.  
"Mom," said Danny, "Can you use a ghost's ectoplasm to find living people with a similar DNA?"  
Maddie didn't turn around, "Who wants to know?"  
"Okay, Ember," cued Danny.  
Ember blinked out of thin air next to Maddie, whose eyes opened wide in startlement.  
"Hey," she said nonchalantly.  
Maddie pulled the wooden spoon out of the candy skull batter, and pointed it in Jack's direction.  
"Better to talk to Jack. If you could get his mind off candy _intended for the dead_ for at least five minutes, it would help me a lot."  
Danny and Ember approached Jack, who turned around slowly.  
"Ember here wants to find her parents," Danny explained, "Do you have anything that will help?"  
Jack was happy and lively once again! He stood up from his stool, and led the two to the lab.

"I've got _just_ the thing," he said enthusiastically, "The Fenton Relativatron™! This can use ectoplasm to find other people with a similar genetic build!"  
It must be a new invention, because if it weren't, Danny would've made sure to stay away from that one somehow (prior to the Disasteroid™ incident, of course).  
"All we need is an ecto sample from Ember."  
Jack looked around the vicinity of the machine for something he could use. A pair of scissors...a Fenton Turkey Baster™...the Fenton Clock Radio™...an ordinary syringe...his eyes fixated on the syringe.  
"HEY!" snapped Ember, "You're _not_ poking me with a needle!"  
'Woah,' thought Danny, 'Like minds...'  
Jack's hand hovered over the scissors, and picked those up.  
"I think just some hair will be enough," Jack admitted.  
He snipped a bit off of Ember's ponytail. It melted into an unrecognizable goop of ectoplasm, but that was expected to happen: it was still usable. The ecto sample then went into a hole on the top of the machine. It sputtered to life, then stopped, printing out a slip of paper. It had the names of Ember's next of kin that were still alive, and the coordinates of their last known whereabouts. 'Perfect,' thought Danny: it was just what he needed.  
Danny was about to leave, when Jack grabbed him by the arm, and handed him a folded piece of cardstock.  
"If it's possible," said Jack, "Would you mind giving her parents this when you get there?"  
There was no doubt on Danny's mind that his father handed him an invitation.

* * *

It didn't take long for Danny to get where he needed to go (Assuming Amity Park is somewhere in California—a headcanon). The coordinates of Ember's parents led him to San Francisco, in the historic Haight-Ashbury part of town. Seems appropriate for the parents of a rockstar ghost girl. He switched back from his ghost form to his human form (for the _first time_ in this fanfiction), and checked his phone to see that he arrived at the right place. Yep, it checked out. The coordinates on his MAPS app matched the ones on the paper.  
Danny knocked on the door and waited. He checked the sheet once more for the name of Ember's mother. When she opened the door, Danny put the slip in his pocket and pulled out Jack's invitation. He gave Ember's mother a good look up and down. 'So _this_ is where Ember got her good looks from,' thought Danny. Indeed, her body had a similar build, but older. Her brown hair would've been identical to Ember's, if it were blue and tied in a ponytail.  
"Mrs. Amberline McLain?" Danny asked.  
"That's me," she said, "Can I help you?"  
"Uh...I came to give you this."  
Danny handed the invitation to Amberline, who opened it right then and there.

You are cordially invited to the first annual  
 **FentonWorks™ Dia De Los Muertos party**  
November 2nd  
21 Danny Phantom Blvd, off Vine Street  
Amity Park, CA

"Danny Phantom Boulevard?" said Amberline, "Are you by any chance be _The_ Danny Phantom?"  
"Yeah," Danny blushed and chuckled, "It used to be Romero Row."  
"May I ask who invited me?"  
Danny cleared his throat lightly, "Uh...a friend."  
Amberline smirked, and wiggled her eyebrows.  
"Thank you for the invitation. I'll run this by Don," she said, "I won't keep you here any longer, but if you have the time, try the coffee shops on Kerouac Alley."  
Amberline shut the door and and Danny was on his way again. He didn't need to explore San Fran right away: he's a halfa! He can come over any time he wanted.

* * *

November Second. The Day of the Dead itself. Dia De Los Muertos parties were in full swing everywhere you'd look. And now FentonWorks™ was in on the whole she-bang. Jack and Maddie did a pretty good job decorating the lab after all (not to say Jazz didn't help). All sorts of deceased relatives, friends and lil' ones that didn't make it long enough made it; and Ember was there too. But not Skulker. _Never_ Skulker anymore: that guy got exorcised out of existence; Good riddance.  
DJing the party was Todd Zeppelin. He never DJ'ed a Dia De Los Muertos party before, and therefore didn't know the appropriate music to play. So he decided to play it safe and alternate between Santana and José. So far, so good. Ember approached Todd's DJ table and leaned against it like a wallflower. They made eye contact.  
"Hi. You Ember McClain?" said Todd, "I love your 'Remember (September)'. It's a true Lost Classic™."  
"Thanks," said Ember, "Tricia says hi."  
"Back atcha."

An hour later, the doorbell rang. Jazz, with nothing to do at that point, went upstairs to answer the door. She didn't know who it was, but Danny did. It was Amberline and Don McLain. They didn't know who they were gonna meet, or what to expect, but Danny did.  
There, at the bottom of the stairway to the lab, was their baby. Dead, sure, but there. Ember and Amberline engaged in a mother-daughter living-dead hug. It was embarrassingly mushy (at least to Danny's eyes), but there was nothing he could do about. Ember hasn't seen her family since her funeral.  
"Baby-pop," said Amberline (So _that's_ where she got it from!)  
"...Mom," said Ember, blushing green with ectoplasm.  
Tears flowed from everybody's eyes, even the dead ones. Danny's first Dia De Los Muertos party was the _best_ Dia De Los Muertos party he ever attended. If only Sam was there to celebrate with him...

Soon after, the party died down and it was time for everybody to go home. The Fentons' dead ancestors thanked them for a lovely time and promised to visit again next year, before disappearing into the ghost portal. Ember, sick of living in the Ghost Zone, decided to tag along with her parents back to her _real_ home in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, and start her afterlife anew. Danny switched back to human form, declaring yesterday and today combined as the longest he's been in his ghost form. And Todd Zeppelin vowed _never_ to DJ at a Dia De Los Muertos party ever again.


End file.
